Sapphire 4850 X2 Over Heating

[Sowser]

My video card is struggling to perform when trying to run higher end games. My first lock up problem happened while playing Demigod and I wrote it off as maybe a one shot deal but now the same thing is happening with Call of Juarez. Initially, with all setting at max and the fan on auto with my display being a 32'' LCD LG HDTV, I could play for maybe 5 minutes and then it would stutter then totally lock up. I tried lowering the settings incrementally and even at a lower resolution with all of the setting at minimum and the fans turned on to 100% the most I could play before lock up was about 15 minutes. Is there any way I can check GPU temp while in game to see where it trips or are there any stress test programs to try? I'd like to see where it locks up and by the time I reset my system and open Catalyst it's back down to its 45C idle temp. The card works fine for older games like Rome: Total War and Team Fortress 2. I know that these cards have heat issues but this is a bit ridiculous! I shouldn't have to buy an after market cooler to be able to get the product to do what it was designed for.

Rig:
Core i7 920
ASUS P6T Deluxe
Sapphire 4850 X2
6GB OCZ Platnum RAM
850 W Corsair PSU
Antec 1200 Case

[InspectahACE]

Furmark checks temps and stresses the gpu.

http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/

[Major_A]

Have you tried taking off the side panel of your case and pointing a fan at the card? The symptoms actually sound more like a power issue rather than a fan/heat issue. Another thing to try is to update/downgrade your video card drivers.

[InspectahACE]

I agree on installing/reinstalling new video drivers.But I don't think it's a power issue. I powered 2 gtx 285's on a TX-750 with no hiccups. Im barely pushing 650 right now with them(gotta love the Kill-A-Watt thingie) under load.

[Sowser]

I seriously doubt it's a power issue considering the quality of my PSU though it is possible I got a bad one from the factory. I have taken the side pannel off of my case (though my 1200 has pleanty of ventilation anyway) but haven't yet put a fan dirrectly on the GPU. I'll try that and also the stress program. I've also gone from 9.4 to 9.6 driver wise and the problem has stayed consistant. Thanks guys!

[Major_A]

How old is the card? Maybe the card is bad. I say this because new games go bad and old games play fine. Newer games have better graphics so the card is likely drawing more power and stressing the GPU harder.

[Athlonite]

well i wouldn't say the card's that old but i have seen brand new cards behave strangly um can you turn off the crossie mode and see if it still happens i not sure whether or not you can but if you can wold you try it and then play aa game and see if it works ok i do remember read somewhere online that the HD4850x2 can have a problem in that respect from as much as i can remember it is an driver issue where the card isn't fully supported yet or something like that but never the less try it and see if it still has issues take it back and get a new one

[Sowser]

gpuTemperature graphics_card= ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2
temperature celcius= 43.50 fahrenheit= 110.30 seconds= 0.00
temperature celcius= 69.50 fahrenheit= 157.10 seconds= 60.00

Above are the starting and ending temps for my card using furmark rendering in 1920 X 1080 on a 32'' LCD TV with fans set on manual running at 100%. Running the test with fans in auto my computer locked up at 70% test completion. I bought the card back in March when I built my rig.

[Sowser]

After playing around a bit more and doing some benchmarking at different resolutions and configurations while temp logging I found out that everytime my PSU hits 71C it locks up.

[Major_A]

Just curious, how are you measuring your PSU temperatures?

[Sowser]

Furmark has a built in temp monitor. Is 71C overly hot for a PSU or should I attempt to RMA?

[InspectahACE]

Furmark doesn't read PSU temps..it only reads GPU temps I'd say that gpu isn't too kosher for some reason. 71C is hot, but not hot enough that it should lock up like that..heck if possible try out another video card and stress it..if it locks up still, it might be something else

[Sowser]

CPU, GPU, PSU... sometimes it's multiple guess! I of course meant to type GPU on previous posts. So to clarify my GPU is locking up at 71C. Is there a preprogrammed interrupt for the GPU that kills it if it gets too hot and if so can I manually control it somehow?

[InspectahACE]

LOL yea it is multiple guessing sometimes. I was sure you meant GPU but ya never know, had to make sure Honestly I don't know of a program that controls any interrupt. I think you should RMA the card at this point. You shouldn't have to resort to anything to get it to work right.

[Sowser]

Here is my experience so far with Sapphire Support:

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:01:39 +0800
The card works fine until under any type of stress. I've gotten freezes playing both Demigod and Call of Juarez. I used furmark to benchmark and everytime the card reached 71 degrees Celsius, which it did quite rapidly even when running the fans at 100%, the computer froze up.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:58:21 +0800
What size power supply are you using with this system? Is it 550w or higher? How about the amp on the 12v rail is it at least 18amps?

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:23:51 +0800
My power supply is a CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply which has guaranteed compatible with dual-GPU configurations. For a monitor I am using a 32 inch LG HD tv model number 32LG60.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:12:51 +0800
Sounds like it should be good for this setup.

[skier]

likely the drivers, try older drivers(i've found ATI isnt particularly good at making standardized drivers, i generally try about 4 different drivers before i get one that works properly in my experience), 71C is nowhere near dangerous for a relatively new card

[Major_A]

Have you tried the card in a different computer?

[Sowser]

From what I've read the 4850 x2 hasn't ever had that great of driver support. I started with catalyst 9.4 and have used 9.5 and 9.6 and they've all had the same problem. Maybe I'll try 9.7 and then drop back a few incarnations. I assume a search will net me some of the old drivers. I haven't tried the card in another computer because I don't know anyone with a big enough case!

[Sowser]

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:11:29 +0800
So if it isn't the power supply and the card freezes everytime at 71 degrees Celsius is that a manufacturing error and do I now RMA it?

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:24:02 +0800
What was the previous card you were using on this system? Or is this a brand new built system?

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:45:37 +0800
This is a brand new system comprised of a P6T Deluxe mother board, core i7 processor, 6 GB OCZ Platnum RAM, and housed in an Antec 1200. I am using Vista Ultimate 64 bit as an OS and my current driver is Catalyst 9.6.

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:18:15 +0800
Provide a copy of the purchase receipt and send it to [email protected] for RMA request.

One thing about Sapphire support, at least I know what time it is in India!

I'll let you know how the RMA process progresses.

[Sowser]

Last night I loaded up an old copy of Baulder's Gate and I was getting some strange artifacts. I turned off crossfire and everything ran fine. This got me thinking and I decided to run some tests with crossfire turned off. With no crossfire the card ran with no problems. Using furmark I reached temps of 85+ and stayed stable. I also played Call of Juarez for about 1/2 an hour with no problem. Switching back to crossfire I again froze up at 71 degrees. So, I would rather not RMA the card at this point because my computer would be down for a while and Sapphire makes you pay for shipping there and back (about $25) so my question would be: is this a driver problem like some people have suggested or is there maybe a problem with the second processor on my GPU?